Recently Viewed
Spinalonga and Agios Nikolaos Tour
4.1
17 Ratings
Malia
Explore Spinalonga’s rich history and scenic Agios Nikolaos. Perfect for combining land and sea tours. Discover Crete’s hidden gems.
Explore Spinalonga’s rich history and scenic Agios Nikolaos. Perfect for combining land and sea tours. Discover Crete’s hidden gems.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Malia - Our tour starts with a visit at the Olive Factory In Malia, there you can taste the famous Cretan Olive oil.
- Spinalonga (Kalydon) - By boat we visit the island of Spinalonga. This island was used as a Leper Colony until 1957. In the small village under the Venetian fortress the stigmatised lepers shared fates when exiled to the…
- Malia - Our tour starts with a visit at the Olive Factory In Malia, there you can taste the famous Cretan Olive oil.
- Spinalonga (Kalydon) - By boat we visit the island of Spinalonga. This island was used as a Leper Colony until 1957. In the small village under the Venetian fortress the stigmatised lepers shared fates when exiled to the island. We make a stop to take a swim in the clean waters of Kolokitha beach in the area of the remains of the ancient sunken city of Olous.
- Agios Nikolaos - We visit the eastern part of the island. Passing through Heraklio, we reach Agios Nikolaos, a small town with a picturesque harbour. The hilly town is built around a former sweet water lake.
- Elounda - Elounda port, take the boat to Spinalonga
What's Included
- Hotel Pick up
- Drop Off
- Transportation
- Boat Ticket
- Guide
- Snack Box
- Hotel Pick up
- Drop Off
- Transportation
- Boat Ticket
- Guide
- Snack Box
What's Not Included
- Tips
- Personal Expenses
- Spinalonga Entrance: 20 euro per person
- Tips
- Personal Expenses
- Spinalonga Entrance: 20 euro per person
Additional Information
Spinalonga was originally a part of Crete, not an island on its own. During the period of Venetian occupation, it was severed from the coast for defensive reasons and a fortress was constructed. The Venetians harvested salt from the island’s salt pans during their rule. It was also used as a place for isolating people with leprosy. Spinalonga has made…
Spinalonga was originally a part of Crete, not an island on its own. During the period of Venetian occupation, it was severed from the coast for defensive reasons and a fortress was constructed. The Venetians harvested salt from the island’s salt pans during their rule. It was also used as a place for isolating people with leprosy. Spinalonga has made appearances in books, TV shows, and a short film. If you’re looking to blend land and sea trips, this outing is ideal. You’ll also get the chance to explore the eastern segment of Crete, Agios Nikolaos - a town with a charming harbour, and the island of Spinalonga.
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please note that hotel pick up/ drop off is included only for the preselected areas. You will receive a confirmation email with your pick up location and time. If you have not received it till 24 hours prior to your activity’s date please do contact your local supplier.
Location
Malia
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(17 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Edmondjos
Jul 22, 2025
Remarkable emotions and landscapes - Beautiful day by coach and boat with a French-speaking guide from Stalis (Heraklion). Impressive views of the Spinalonga peninsula and the Elonda region. Crossing the bay by boat and moving discovery of the ancient Venetian fortress of Spinalonga transformed into a leper colony from 1903 to 1957! Impressive historical site, ghost leper colony named in French the Ile des Oubliés.
A real must!
The tour ends in the charming town of Agios Nikolaos.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Getaway784373
Jun 26, 2024
A must for a visit - We had already read the book about Spinalonga and felt privileged to have visited the island. It was everything we hope it would be. The tool lady did talk for half an hour which was a needed arrival at the island
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharonjs1058tc
May 17, 2023
Agios Nicolaus and Spinalonga - Fabulous and interesting day with Spiridon Tours where we visited the very pretty Nicolaus Agios and Spinalonga island. The tour was well organised, the ferry 20 minutes and the island really interesting. Well worth a day out! Take a tour and expect to start early! Spinalonga is not easily reached from Rethymnon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vanessa0408
Jul 31, 2022
Spinalonga Island - Excellent day with French guide who tells us a whole exciting story with ruins that are rebuilt identically what a beautiful place full of charms
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jean
Jun 28, 2022
From Malia, head to the Island of the Forgotten near Agios - A surprising discovery of the fate that was once reserved for lepers isolated from the world and left to their fate. Too bad that this place is so frequented by an uninterrupted horde of tourists. Takes away a lot of charm from the visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ariana
Oct 1, 2019
Excellent excursion - We were picked up right in front of the hotel just as specified when we booked this trip. The trip started kind slow as the bus picked up more people along the way to east coast but this also had its charm. Once we arrived at Elouda, the boat took us to one of the best small beaches Crete has to offer. While we had fun, lunch was prepared - steak, salad, cheese, bread, and a choice of a drink ; wine or orange juice-. Afterwards the boat took us to Spinaloga where the tour guide provided us with lots of information on Crete and the island's history. Once we landed back at Elouda, the bus proceeded to St Nicholas for time enough for a drink and to take pictures.
It was a long trip from Herakleio but it was worth it. It was the best excursion of the ones I took during this trip. I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lerandbleu
Sep 13, 2021
Too many buses spoiling the fun of the excursion - We took an excursion from Gazi to the island of Spinalonga with the tour operator Sparrow Travel (offered by the Agapi Beach hotel) - be careful, the collection hde all guests in the hotels is endless: departure from the hotel at 7:00 am and arrival in Agios Nikolaos at 9:30 am - too bad because then the excursion itself is interesting - return time about 2 hours - arrival at 7:30 pm
Review provided by Tripadvisor
957pierrickd
Oct 22, 2020
Memorial visit to a former leper centre. - Moving visit to this ancient Venetian citadel converted into a leper colony until the 1950s.
Beautiful walk around the military fort but especially in the old village being restored.
Shuttle by nice boat to and from.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Osulan
Jul 5, 2022
Might Be Better to Drive Yourself if Coming from Heraklion - I went on the Spinalonga- Agios Nikolaos from Heraklion Tour in early July 2022 with my bf. They picked us up in an Orange Travel bus with a "Spinalonga" sign in front. I booked the tour through TripAdvisor which states that the tour operator was MTM D.M.C Ltd so there was quite a bit of confusion and the bus drove off to park down the street from us. Thankfully, we chases after it and check again and found that our name was on the list, even though it was spelled incorrectly (which apparently is pretty normal in Greece).
We were the 2nd group to be picked up out of a group of maybe 10 of other stops. It took us over an hour and a half to pick everyone else up for the tour to actually begin. Because of this, we were also the last ones off the bus after dropping everyone else off.
I wish they included an optional section under the inclusion section of the tour descriptions for bringing a bathing suit for a potential dip in the water. Because I did not see an option to go swimming in the ticket booking in the TripAdvisor app, we didn't bring a swimsuit for the occasion. The lunch was a soulvaki pork sandwich that did not include any kind of drink at all. I would recommend either bringing money to buy one or bringing your own for the trip.
The only bottle of water that was given to us was near the end of the tour when we got to the Agios Nikolaos Lake. The water was not cold, nor was there a restroom in the chartered bus the tour was in. The tour guide, Eva, was nice but it was difficult to understand her at times. I ended up falling asleep when she would give her lectures.
All in all, you really get what you pay for. The whole experience wouldn't have been as bad if you were picked up towards the beginning of the tour around 9AM. My bf and I were picked up at 7:35AM at the Ligo krassi ligo thalassa restaurant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jobix57
Aug 2, 2021
Anti ecological!! - Anti Ecological!!
Departure by bus from the hotel (gas-oil * Air conditioning), arrival at the port departure in a large well polluting boat whose engine will run throughout the duration of the Excursion. Arrival on site the spinalonga visit is subject to a fee (8€ per person, without English translation). The boats arrive in turn and discharge 1 stream of tourists by letting out stinking smoke. The meal is taken on the boat (in the form of barbecue, the meat is good)., some Covid masks end up in the water, the cutlery is plastic, They fly during a gale and also end up in the water. The water is beautiful, but you swim near the boats in the smoke the engines. The worst part, strictly no one cares about the bottles and masks floating on the beautiful blue sea.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
